The Aurora Files Prologue, and Chapters 1 - 4
by Shawna
Summary: The first few(and now only)chapters of the epic of Aurora, the Pokemon character I invented. It had a promising start, but I will not be writing anymore chapters so that I may focus on original works. Enjoy what I do have, though!
1. Prologue - Aurora's First Pokemon

PROLOGUE – AURORA'S FIRST POKEMON

10-year-old Aurora Aston dragged her feet as she walked through the forest outside her home of South Pallet Town. She was looking for Pokemon. She wasn't supposed to be; you were supposed to be 12 years old before you caught or trained Pokemon. And you were supposed to see Professor Oak to get your first Pokemon and learn about training and raising them. But Aurora didn't want to wait, and she didn't want a Pokemon from Professor Oak. She wanted to teach herself and catch her own Pokemon. So here she was, out in the woods, searching. She hadn't found a thing yet. But she would. She was going to catch a rare and powerful Pokemon and train and raise it on her own. She didn't need Professor Oak and she especially didn't need his grandson Gary. 

Thinking of Gary made Aurora roll her eyes. Gary was going to be a Pokemon Master, or so he was convinced. He had been learning about Pokemon from his grandfather since he was a baby. _But I'll be better than he will; I'll be Pallet's Pokemon Master!_ Aurora thought, gritting her teeth. She had never actually spoken to Gary Oak, but she had seen him, and she hadn't liked the way he looked at her. She always avoided him. There were only two children her age in Pallet, both of them boys. She didn't like Gary, and she'd only seen a picture of the other one, Ash Ketchum. It was a picture of him and Gary when they were still best friends. She had been the odd one out, a loner, a reject, since she was a baby. Her own mother didn't even think that much of her. Her mother doted on Aurora's older sister, Sibeen. Aurora spent all her time alone with the family pet, a Growlithe whose name was simply Growlithe. She had grown a passion for Pokemon because of this. 

Now she was out in the woods, searching for a Pokemon to call her own. She hadn't found anything. She was almost in tears, realizing the sun was going down and she'd have to go home soon. She was about to give up when she heard a rustle in the bushes. She tensed, reaching slowly for the single Pokeball she had been able to acquire. Whatever it was, it was coming closer, and closer…

Aurora let her Pokeball fly, and it struck the thing just as it jumped onto the path. The Pokeball hit it, bounced off, and the thing moaned, "Owww…" It was a person. Aurora sighed, and picked up her dropped Pokeball. The she looked at the person. And gasped. She recognized him from the photo; it was Ash Ketchum. He looked as surprised as she did. But he wasn't surprised to see her; his surprise was directed at the Pokeball she held in her hand. He pointed at it.

"Isn't that a Pokeball? I-I thought we weren't supposed to have those until our twelfth birthdays. Where did you get that one?" He paused, looked around, and lowered his voice, "Are you trying to catch Pokemon?"

Aurora tossed her long blonde hair proudly and her aquamarine eyes flashed. "So what if I am? It's none of your business, Ash Ketchum," she said, trying to sound tough, but she ended up just sounding scared and defensive. 

Ash was taken aback. "I'm not gonna tell anyone. In fact, I'm looking for Pokemon, too. But I don't have any Pokeballs to catch them in." He stared longingly at Aurora's Pokeball, and then it seemed to strike him and he added, "How did you know my name?"

"I know a lot more about you then just your name, Ash." That wasn't true, but Aurora just wanted him to leave. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have Pokemon to catch." With that, she walked past him, heading down the path. "Hey, wait!" she heard him call, "I didn't get your name!" But she ignored him and kept walking. 

It was getting dark and cold, and Aurora knew that she should be heading for home. But she was desperate to catch a Pokemon. She stopped, and stood silently for several minutes, debating what to do. She was about to turn and go home, when a bug flew out of a bush. She froze. It landed about 4 feet from her and stared up at her. It was a strange bug. It stood on two feet and had little razors along its arms. It had four wings, but no antenna and only four legs, two of which were more like arms, since it stood in its back legs. It stood almost a foot tall. She wasn't completely sure if it was a Pokemon or not, but it was worth trying to catch. She silently readied her Pokeball, and then, with a lightning fast motion, she let the Pokeball fly. It struck the Pokemon in the head, and then trapped it inside. She waited, knowing Pokemon always tried to escape when first caught. The Pokeball didn't move, and the light on the center turned off, indicating that the Pokemon had been captured. _That's strange,_ she thought, _it didn't even try to escape._ She shrugged, deciding it didn't matter, as long as the Pokemon was caught. She smiled happily, picking up the Pokeball and admiring it. 

"I caught a Pokemon!" She announced excitedly to nothing. She pushed the button, shrinking the Pokeball, and then tucked it gently into her pocket. 

"Hey Aurora."

Aurora straightened. That voice. She turned around slowly, praying that it wouldn't be who she thought it was. It just couldn't be –

"Gary," She said, spitting the name with venom. 

He smiled evilly. "Fancy meeting you out here. Strange that we should run into each other, in this big forest and all. Somebody must have been following the other…"

Aurora's eyes widened. He had been following her! All the way out here! Had he seen her catch her Pokemon? If he had, surely he would tell his grandfather. Then she might never be able to become a Pokemon master! 

"So, what are you out here doing, Aurora?" He asked, "Are you looking for Pokemon? Lucky for you, you didn't find one. If you'd have caught it, I would have had to tell my grandfather, and you would probably never be able to be a Pokemon trainer…" He paused, gauging Aurora's reaction to his speech. Then he continued, somewhat shyly, "But, enough about Pokemon. It's getting dark. I'll walk you home."

Aurora took a step back. "I don't need you to walk me home Gary. I can take care of myself." Aurora was relieved that he had not seen her catch her Pokemon, whatever it was. Now she wanted him to leave. Instead, he stepped forward and took her hand. "Come on, Aurora. Let's just walk back to Pallet together. No big deal," He said, a touch of desperation tainting his voice. Aurora sighed, let her hand grasp his, and nodded. "Fine…let's walk back."

Gary didn't let go of her hand the whole way back. When they reached Aurora's doorstep, she had to pull her hand from Gary's grasp. "Well…bye Gary," She said uncertainly, realizing that he was not leaving. He stared at her. "Goodbye Gary," She said firmly, giving him a shove off her porch. She went inside, not once looking back at him. She shut the door quickly behind her.

"Aurora Elizabeth Aston, where have you been? And was that a _boy_ I saw you walk up the street with?" Aurora cringed at the sound of her mother's voice coming from the living room. 

"I was just walking in the woods, Mom. That boy found me and offered to walk me home, that's all."

Her mother walked into the front room, but she didn't look as mad as she had sounded. "Don't worry, sweetie," She said, "I'm not mad. Its summer and its good for you to get out and be active. And besides, that was _Gary Oak_ wasn't it? I don't mind you spending time with him at all. It'll do you good to spend time with a boy who is intelligent, polite, handsome and goal-oriented. At least it wasn't _Ash Ketchum_. Then I might have been upset."

That caught Aurora's attention. "Why would you have been upset if it had been Ash Ketchum? What's so bad about him?"

Her mother looked irritated. "He's a fanciful, no-good, head-in-the-clouds, dreamer. He wants to be a Pokemon Master!" Her mother laughed as if that was the stupidest thing she had ever heard of. 

Aurora blinked. "But Mom, Gary Oak wants to be a Pokemon Master, too."

Her mother clenched her fist, "But he actually has a chance at it! His grandfather is Professor Oak! Gary _will_ be a Pokemon Master! Ash is just dreaming! And, on top of that, Ash isn't even attractive! Not like Gary is!"

Aurora rolled her eyes. _That's my mom for you,_ she thought, _always thinking about appearances. And Ash is every bit as attractive as Gary is!_ "Yeah, I guess you're right," Aurora said, just to appease her Mother. She faked a yawn. "Boy, I sure am tired. I think I'll head up to my room and go to bed." 

"Sure go ahead. Goodnight. I'm gonna wait for Sibeen to get home."

__

Of course you are, Aurora thought, _you love her more, after all._ Her mom didn't even give her a hug. Aurora trudged up her stairs, shutting and locking her bedroom door behind her. She brightened as she took the Pokeball out of her pocket. She opened it slowly, knowing that the Pokemon wouldn't try to get away now, but still a bit afraid that it would fly away. A bolt of pure energy shot out of the Pokeball and then formed itself into her bug. It was large for a bug, but tiny for a Pokemon. "Oh well," Aurora said, "You'll grow bigger, won't you little friend?" The bug seemed to smile at being called "little friend" and it sheathed the razors on its arms with a small flap of skin. Aurora stretched out her hand, and the bug landed on it, and then climbed up her arm and onto her shoulder. She laughed softly as its wings tickled her ear. 

"You're a cute little bug Pokemon, aren't you? I just wish you could tell me what you are…" The bug suddenly jumped off her shoulder, flew down onto her bed, and began to gesture frantically with its arms. "Scytheeeeerrr!" It cried, "Scyytheerr!" Aurora stared at it. "Scyther?" She said, thinking. Then, it struck her. "I remember reading that Pokemon can understand human speech, but Pokemon language is made up of their own name said over and over. So, you're a Scyther!" Aurora looked amazed. "A Scyther! Wow! I did catch myself a rare and powerful Pokemon!" Aurora laughed giddily. 

Something scratched on her door and whined. Aurora hurried to open the door. "Come on in Growlithe," she said, "Come meet my new Pokemon, Scyther." Growlithe slinked into her room, his ears perking at the mention of a new Pokemon. He spotted Scyther on the bed and trotted up to him. "Be careful, Growlithe. If he doesn't like you, he might use those razors on his arms." However, to Aurora's delight, Scyther and Growlithe really seemed to like each other. Growlithe licked Scyther and Scyther didn't even mind. Aurora smiled at her two pets. "You guys are the best. You're my family." 

That night Aurora went to sleep with Growlithe at the foot of her bed and Scyther in a basket on her nightstand. She was going to be a Pokemon master. She already had two Pokemon all her own. Well, maybe she couldn't really call Growlithe her own, but he still counted as one of her Pokemon. She was already ahead of Gary Oak. Gary Oak. The smile on Aurora's face vanished, thinking about the way he had held her hand and not left her porch. What did that mean? Aurora drifted slowly to sleep, thinking about Ash Ketchum, Gary Oak, and, most of all, Pokemon.


	2. Part 1 - Running Away

PART 1 – RUNNING AWAY

3 YEARS AFTER PROLOGUE

"Use your bug, Aurora! The bug is the best!" My best friend Rainne shouted from the sidelines of the battle. "Bug is Best! Bug is Best!" She started up a chant. I couldn't help but smile. Rainne was crazy, and that was the best thing about her. Of course, I was crazy to. 

"Alright, alright, I'll use the bug, just to please you!" I called with a smile. "Ponyta, return!" I said, recalling the Pokemon I was currently using. The trainer I was battling, his name was Barry, gritted his teeth. "Stop stalling the match!" He called angrily, "Bring out the Pokemon you want and let's finish this battle!" 

"I wouldn't be so desperate to finish if I were you!" I yelled across the battlefield, "You only have one Pokemon and I still have three! Don't be so anxious for me to beat you!" I pulled out another Pokeball, this one bearing my trademark Pentacle sign, but painted in gold, instead of the usual purple. "Scyther! I call you!" Scyther flew out of his Pokeball with lightning speed. "Scyther!" It called, anxious to battle. 

Surprise registered on the other trainer's face, but he quickly recovered. "Fearow," he called, "Use your drill peck attack!" 

"Scyther, counter with slash!" I shouted, and Scyther used his razors to slash Fearow in the beak and on the face before it could hit him. "Quick, Scyther, follow through with Swords Dance!" 

Fearow fell to the ground, badly wounded from Scyther's Slash and Swords Dance attacks. Barry ran forward, cradling his Fearow's head in his arms. "Oh, Fearow, are you okay?" I stepped forward slowly, pulling bandages and medication from my backpack. I knelt next to the Fearow. "Here,' I said, "Let me take a look at it." Barry glared at me, opened his mouth to say no, looked at his badly injured Fearow and then thought better of it. He must realize that I was skilled with Pokemon medicine and treatment, and would be able to patch Fearow up enough so that he could get it to the nearest Pokemon center in Viridian City. I poured one of Barry's Super Potions down Fearow's throat and then began to apply salve and bandages to its wounds. 

"These wounds aren't life threatening now, but they could be if they get infected," I told Barry, handing him a bottle of medicine I had made myself. "Here, clean the wounds, apply this, and change the bandages twice a day. That's _twice a day._ If you forget, the wounds will get infected and you'll have to rush Fearow to a Pokemon Center, or it could die. Is that all clear? Any questions?" Barry shook his head, uncorking the medicine bottle and sniffing its contents. 

"Whew! This stuff reeks!" He said, holding his nose. 

"Yes, it does, if you inhale it right outta the bottle like that! Don't do that again! You'll kill your brain cells," I reprimanded him sharply, frustrated. "Take good care of that Fearow. If those wounds get infected…" I paused, trying to think of a suitable threat. "I'll have Rainne's Cubone beat you up!" Barry registered the proper surprise, as did Rainne. "I would beat him up myself!" Rainne called. I smiled at both of them. "Alright, Barry, pop quiz! What are you supposed to do to care for your Fearow?"

Barry sat up straight, as if I was a teacher. "I'm supposed to clean the wounds, apply this," He held up the bottle of medicine, "And change the bandages…twice a day," he finished, looking quite pleased with himself. 

"Good," I said, "Make sure you don't forget! Remember what I said about Rainne's Cubone!" I started to turn away, then stopped and added, "By the way, Barry, you battled very well. Good match." Barry smiled at me. "Thank you, you didn't battle so bad yourself!" We both chuckled at this, "And…thank you for caring for Fearow," he added shyly. 

"It was no problem," I replied, "You're welcome. Train hard, Barry. See ya around." With that, I turned to go. Scyther bowed, paying respect to Fearow, and then followed me.

Rainne caught up with me when Barry was far behind them. "Nice battle," she said, "You remain undefeated!" Rainne laughed. 

But I was not smiling. I felt dead serious, and my eyes were fixed on the horizon. I had one hand on Scyther's back, and the other was clenched tightly into a fist. Rainne sighed. "Still gonna do it tonight?" She asked, a touch of her hope showing that she wanted the answer to be "No." 

But I nodded. "Yes," I said, "I'm going to do it tonight." 

Rainne's face fell. "Do you think you really, really have to? I'll miss you so much! Can't you just wait until you're 16 like you're Mom says?" 

I turned to face my friend, and took her hands. I knew Rainne was as rebellious as me, probably more. She should be able to understand why I was going to do it. "Yes, Rainne, I have to. Mom let Sibeen leave to be a dancer when she was 13. I should have left at 12, like everyone else did! Do you realize that for the past year, Gary has been getting ahead of me? I've been determined to beat him since I was 9!"

"But you've already got 7 Pokemon, and you haven't even left here yet. How far ahead of you could Gary possibly be? I mean, he is a year older than you after all. It makes sense that he's ahead of you. Besides, figuratively, since you haven't left here and he has, and you've got Pokemon, and he didn't have any until after he left, then you're actually ahead of him!" 

I was not convinced. That hardly made any sense to me, and I don't think it even made much sense to Rainne. She sighed, and then asked, "And what are your Pokemon again?" She knew that I loved to name off my Pokemon.

I smiled, "Their names are Scyther! Growlithe! Kadabra! Onix! Eevee! Seel! And Ponyta!"

"Well, see? That's a good selection of Pokemon, all of which you caught right around Pallet Town. You don't really need to leave. Just wait until you're 16, then you can go with your Mom's blessing."

I was startled, "Are you joking? I'm not gonna let my mom stop me from leaving this loser town! I'm not gonna let Gary achieve fame before I do! I'm 13 now! I can take care of myself!"

Rainne stared at me, hear best friend. "Well, we'll see each other again, won't we?"

I nodded vigorously. "Of course we will! We're both gonna be Pokemon Masters, right? We'll end up on the same path, even though our ways of getting to it are different." 

Rainne nodded. "You're right. We're both gonna be Pokemon Masters and we will see each other again." She paused, "That reminds me, are you sure Scyther can carry you all the way to Pewter City?"

I tossed my long blonde hair proudly, a habit I'd acquired over the years. "Of course he will!" I announced, "He's 5 foot 6 inches tall, just as tall as me. He weighs quite a bit more than I do, and he's about three times as strong! He'll be able to do it, no sweat, no doubt!" 

"I hope you're right," Rainne said, somewhat skeptically. "For your sake, I really hope that you're right."

* * *

I turned over in my bed. It was 12:57 AM. I planned to leave at 1:00 AM. Only 3 more minutes. Three more minutes at my home, with my mother. Then I'd probably never see either thing again. 

__

Well, that might not be true, I thought, _I might see Mom again, when I become a famous Pokemon Master. But do I really wanna see her again? Even when I'm rich and famous, and there's nothing she can do to stop me? Will I really want to see her?_ I frowned, thinking hard about what I had thought. I turned over and glared at my clock. 1:01 AM. I sat bolt upright in my bed. It was time to go. 

I got out of bed, dressed, and grabbed my backpack, which I had already packed with clothes and food. I buckled my belt with my eight Pokeballs attached to it around my waist. You were only supposed to carry six Pokeballs, but since I was not a licensed trainer, the computer could not take my extra Pokeballs. I could carry as many Pokemon as I wanted, but I could not take them to a Pokemon Center, and I didn't get a Pokedex. That was the main reason I had learned to care for Pokemon and make my own Pokemon medicine. But I always played fair. I chose the three or six Pokemon I would use and didn't show the others, for obvious reasons. 

I silently called Scyther out from his Pokeball. Scyther already knew what I planned to do, and he knew not to make a sound. I opened my window wide, and gestured for Scyther to fly outside. After he had done so, I took one last long look around my room. I wore several layers of clothes, not because it was cold, but because I couldn't fit very much stuff into my backpack and I needed as much as I could take. I wore all of my keepsake jewelry, and had managed to stuff everything that meant anything to me in my backpack. It really wasn't much, so I had had enough room for food. I also carried all of the money that I had saved up from birthdays, Christmas, and winning battles for three years. A tear fell slowly from my eye, looking around at the room I would never see again. "Goodbye Mom. I do love you." And with that, I, Aurora Aston, crawled out of my window and dropped to the ground, running away from home. 

"Ready to go Scyther?" I asked, patting Scyther on the back. I had given him a Strength Elixir that I had made myself, using the ingredients I knew they used to make the stuff at the store. I couldn't buy Pokemon medicine, vitamins or anything at the PokeMart, for the same reason I couldn't take my Pokemon to the Pokemon Center. You had to show your license to get anything for Pokemon. And I didn't have one.

"Well, no sense in stalling," I whispered. I climbed slowly up on Scyther's back and wrapped my arms around his slender waist. "Lets fly, Scyther. Let's go on our Pokemon Quest."

Scyther flew for about an hour, carrying me. Once, I almost fell asleep and nearly fell off Scyther's back. I knew then that it was time to stop. Scyther's thoughts filtered into my mind, _We are very close to Viridian City. I will land and you can ride Ponyta into town and find a hotel._ I nodded. "Good idea, Scyther. Land right down there." I pointed to a small clearing in the otherwise dense Viridian Forest. Being psychic and telepathically linking myself to all of my Pokemon was a real virtue. I could communicate in battle without the opponent being able to anticipate my next move, and I could share in the feelings, emotions, and thoughts of my Pokemon. 

Scyther wheeled through the sky, and then came to a smooth landing on the dirt. I hopped off his back. "You're tired, Scyther. Get into your Pokeball and rest," I said, bringing out his Pokeball. Scyther nodded, and allowed himself to be put into his Pokeball. I attached the ball to my belt, and then took another Pokeball. "Come on out, Ponyta. We need to ride." I said, opening Ponyta's Pokeball.

I climbed on Ponyta's back, and held onto her fiery mane. Ponyta trusted me totally, and the fire didn't even feel hot. "To Viridian City, Ponyta." I whispered, and we were off like a shot. 

"Excuse me," I said to the man at the hotel counter. Ponyta had carried me to Viridian City in just a few minutes time, and now I was getting a room at the first hotel I found. "I need a single occupancy room for one day." I said. The man, who was obviously not very friendly, nodded without speaking and took the money I offered. He handed me my hotel room key and then turned his back. I stuck my tongue out at him and walked away. My room was on the 8th floor, so I took the elevator. 

My room had a balcony, and the city was beautiful in the night, all lit up. I called out all of my Pokemon, and made beds for all of them around the room. Then, I fell into the bed, exhausted. It was 5 AM. I was in Viridian City, on my own. I had done it. I had finally run away. Now, the real adventure would begin.

**To Be Continued…**


	3. Part 2 - The Boulder Badge

**Part 2 – The Boulder Badge**

I was awake at 10:30 AM. I'd only slept for five and a half-hours. I lay in my bed, squeezing my eyes closed, hoping I'd fall back to sleep. I didn't. I was wide-awake, and my eyes refused to stay closed. It was time to get up. I stretched and rose slowly. All of my Pokémon were still sound asleep. Growlithe was snoring, and Scyther was mumbling "Scyth Scyther Scy…" in his sleep. He was dreaming. I smiled, and was considering entering his dream, when I decided to just let him be. He was exhausted after last night's flight, and it would be better to let him sleep. 

I went into to the bathroom to take a shower. The shower was much bigger than it needed to be, and I was uncomfortable. I felt very watched. I showered hurriedly, brushed my hair, and got dressed. Growlithe was awake when I came out of the bathroom, so I put him on a leash and walked to the lobby with him. Certain types of Pokémon were allowed out of Pokeballs in public places, and Growlithe was one of those types. I went to the small bakery in the hotel lobby and bought myself a muffin and some juice for breakfast. I could only nibble at the muffin. I just wasn't hungry. I was thinking about which Pokemon I should use to battle the Pewter City Gym Leader. I knew that whoever it was would be using Rock type Pokémon, so who should I use against them? Seel was my first thought, naturally, since water was good against rock. But I needed more than just one Pokémon. Scyther's razors would be almost useless against rock, and I doubted that rock Pokémon had much of a mind, so Kadabra's psychic attacks wouldn't be very effective. I didn't want to use my Onix against other rock Pokémon, and I wasn't sure how effective Growlithe's or Ponyta's fire would be. And, of course, I couldn't use my little Eevee. I sighed.

"Aurora Aston…I knew I'd run into you someday."

My breath caught. I knew that voice! I hadn't heard it for more than a year; it was a little bit deeper than I remembered, but there was no mistaking it. I turned around slowly.

"Hello Gary."

Gary jumped over the chair next to me and then sat down in it. A group of about 6 girls came up behind him. "Gary, Gary, he's the best!" They chanted, all in unison. I glared at them disdainfully and they silenced and backed up a few steps. 

"What's wrong with them?" I asked, motioning to the group of cheerleader girls.

"Nothing is _wrong_ with them," Gary said, "They've just recognized and respect my true greatness." He paused. "Something that you never did."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "That's 'cause there isn't any greatness to recognize. All I see in you is selfishness, greed, ignorance, foolishness, absolutely no compassion, and a big fat ego." 

Gary was taken aback, but then he narrowed his eyes back at me. "Well you know what I see in _you?_" He paused, and his voice softened. He stared into my eyes. "I see selflessness, generosity, intelligence, wisdom, loads of compassion, and a good sense of self-esteem." 

Now it was my turn to be taken aback. No one had ever spoken like that to me before, and I nearly melted at his feet. He was still staring into my eyes. I used that to gain access to his mind with my psychic powers. 

-_She's so beautiful. I wonder if she still hates me. It's been a year. She can't be mad anymore. She's beautiful. Will she think I'm serious about what I just said? I am! Will she believe me? She's beautiful. I don't want her to hate me. She's the only person I've ever felt the need to be nice to. What if she still doesn't like me? She's beautiful. -_

I disconnected my psychic link, amazed at the thoughts I had just received. Gary felt that way? About _me?_ I couldn't decide whether to fall into his arms, or be angry at him. I chose angry.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." I said, breaking the eye contact. I saw his face fall out of the corner of my eye. "Did you think I would just fall into your arms after you said a few nice things? How could I ever even get near you again? After what you did!" 

"But Aurora," he said, desperately, "That was more than a year ago! I was young and stupid then! I've matured a lot since I left on my Pokemon journey!"

I softened, seeing his desperation. "Gary," I said softly, "I do want to be friends with you. But that's all. Just friends." I noticed his cheerleader group staring at me as if I was crazy; as if I had just turned down a million dollars. How could anyone like Gary so much?

I tapped back into Gary's mind, knowing his real reaction would be different from what he would say. –_Well, friends. That's a start, if nothing else. -_ That was what he thought. He said, "Well, that's all I really wanna be to, just friends."

I rolled my eyes. Boys. They just never said what they were really thinking. 

The moment turned awkward, and I faked a cough. "Well, this is kinda awkward." I said slowly.

He nodded, "Yeah…well, anyway, what are you doing here? Did your mom change her mind and let you leave on your Pokémon Quest early? If I recall, she wasn't going to let you leave until you were 16."

I stared at him, wondering if I could trust him enough to tell him the truth. Well, he was obviously crazy about me. I felt vain in thinking that, but it must be the truth. I could tell him. I could probably tell him anything and he'd keep it a secret.

"No, Gary, she didn't change her mind. I did." Gary looked at me questioningly. I continued. "I ran away. I took my Pokémon and left in the middle of the night, just last night, to be precise. I couldn't wait around Pallet anymore. I had to get out."

Gary blinked. "Wow. Really? Well, I can't say that I blame you. I was anxious to get out of Pallet Town, too. But, running away? That's harsh."

"You're not gonna tell anyone, are you?" I glared at him severely. He shook his head vigorously, but I noticed that his spiky, too spiky if you ask me, hair did not move. I laughed under my breath. He looked offended. "What are you laughing at?" I smiled coyly. 

"Gary, how much…um, gel or spray do you put in your hair?" 

He looked flustered, a bit surprised at my question. "Uh, not much," he stuttered. I shook my head. Not much. Whatever. He must have about a can of hairspray in that mop on his head. I busted up laughing. "Not much? Ha! Your hair doesn't move! There must be a can of super-stiff spray in that spiky mess! You could kill someone with those!" And I cracked up, laughing. I hadn't laughed like this in a long time. It felt good. All my stress, sadness, anger, and frustration bubbled out with my laughter. And I couldn't stop laughing. Then, Gary was laughing with me, and we were almost in tears with laughter. We laughed until we stopped. (Author's Note: Little joke there!)

I was able to quiet down when I noticed that people were starting to stare at us, and the man behind the counter of the bakery was glaring with great disdain. I kicked Gary in the shins. "Shut up, stupid. People are staring. Let's get out of here."

Gary nodded. "Let's go to your room."

I glared at him. "I don't think so. I'm gonna go up to my room, get my stuff and my Pokemon, you'll wait right here, and then we can go somewhere for lunch."

And I turned away and went up the stairs.

* * *

"So, you're going on to Pewter City to get a Boulder Badge?" Gary asked, picking at the food he had ordered. I stirred my drink with my straw and stared out the window and the light gray cloud layer high in the sky.

"Yeah, I'm gonna try."

"Well, you of course know that the Pewter City Gym Leader will be using rock-type Pokémon. What Pokémon are you going to use?"

I paused, sighing. "Well, that's kind of the problem. The only Pokémon I have who would be effective against rock is Seel. But, I need more than just the one Pokémon."

"Well," Gary said slowly, "I could let you use one of my Pokémon."

I stared at him. Use one of his Pokémon? Did I want to be that dependent on him? If I used one of his Pokémon, could I still consider that I earned the badge myself? 

"How about you lend me one of your Pokémon and I'll save it for last. I probably won't even need to use it at all."

He nodded. "Sounds like a good idea."

We finished our meal, Gary paid for both of us, and then we left. We walked to the outskirts of the city together, Gary's cheerleaders following far behind because of theirs and mine mutual dislike. 

When we reached Route 2 to Pewter City, I started to call out Ponyta, so I could ride her to the city. Gary stopped me.

"Ponyta will have a hard time getting through Viridian Forest, so flying will be faster and easier."

"Then I'll ride Scyther," I said.

"No, ride with me," He answered. He got out one of his Pokéballs and opened it. I gasped. It was a Pidgeot! "You have a Pidgeot?" I asked, feeling a little jealous. None of my Pokémon were fully evolved. All of them were still in their first evolutionary stage, except Kadabra and of course Scyther, who didn't evolve at all.

Gary climbed onto Pidgeot's back, and then held out his hand to help me up. I paused. "What about your cheering squad?" I asked. He shrugged. "They'll take the car."

_Car?_ I turned around. All of the girls were loading themselves into a shiny, new-looking red convertible. My mouth fell open and another pang of jealousy went through me. How was he getting this stuff?

I turned back to him. "Where do you get all this stuff? The money to pay for it all?" I demanded, incredulous that he could have earned this much money himself. Surely his parents or his grandfather were helping him, both with money and raising his Pokémon. But he shrugged.

"I battle a lot," He said. I glared at him. No way he battled enough to have enough money to buy a car. And these girls, why would they follow him around? Was he very rich, or did they actually admire his skill or his looks? And what about—

My reverie was interrupted when Gary grabbed my hand and pulled me up behind him on Pidgeot's back. He put my arms around his waist. "Hang on," He said with a smile. I made a face at him, but tightened my arms around his waist. "Let's go, Pidgeot," He said, and Pidgeot launched itself straight into the air with it powerful legs and wings. I gasped, and held tight to Gary. I'd never ridden on a bird before, and it was quite a bit different from riding on Scyther. 

Pidgeot was a smooth and very fast flyer. We kept getting higher and higher. "Um, Gary, aren't we a little high?" I asked, apprehension creeping in my voice, as I looked down at the incredible distance to the ground. I never flew this high on Scyther. But Gary just laughed, "We're barely halfway to how high Pidgeot can fly! Higher Pidgeot!" 

"Higher? No, Gary, no higher!" I called, but I actually did want to go higher. I'd never been this high. The wind in my hair, the view, it was so exhilarating. Without even realizing what I was doing, I put my chin on Gary's shoulder and leaned my head against his. I smiled as we broke through the cloud layer, the fog curling around our bodies. We burst through the clouds, and the sun was shining brightly. 

Gary grinned, looking at me out of the corner of his eyes. "Now it's gets exciting, so hold on very tightly," he said. I looked at him quizzically. "Pidgeot, dive!" He called. I gasped. "Are you crazy, Gary? Dive? From way up hereeee!" My question turned into a scream as Pidgeot folded its wings and we dropped like a rock. We fell right through the cloud layer, plummeting toward the ground. I was screaming, but not with fear any more. Now it was pure excitement. We were free falling, the wind was whipping my hair around my face, and adrenaline was pumping in my veins. It was better than a roller coaster. The ground was getting closer and closer, and I could see the red convertible, full of Gary's cheerleaders, driving along the road. The ground was rushing up on us, and a slight prick of fear stuck into me. Closer. Closer. I let out a cry. And then, with the ground less than ten feet away, Pidgeot opened its wings and we went flying back into the air. 

"Wasn't that great?" Gary called. "That was awesome!" I said, right into his ear.

We flew the rest of the way at a good speed and a reasonable height. Pidgeot landed perfectly right outside the entrance to Pewter City. Gary jumped off Pidgeot's back and then put his arms around my waist and helped me to get down. 

"You know, I could have gotten off myself," I said. Gary smiled. "Yeah, I know."

I stood in front of the Pewter Gym, staring at its stone gray walls. My heart beat hard in my chest. Gary put one if his arms around my waist. "Hey, don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll do great. And, just in case you need some help," He put one of his Pokéballs into my hand, "Use this." I stared at the Pokéball in my hand, tapping into it with my mind. "It's a Nidoking." I said. Gary started. "How did you know that?" I grinned at him. "Because I asked it." I walked away before he could ask. I rang the bell on the door of the gym. A panel slid open. 

"I'm Aurora Aston from Pallet Town and I hereby request an official match with the leader of this gym." I said, just like the book said I should. The panel slid shut, and the door opened slowly. Gary came up behind me, took my hand and walked with me inside.

The door shut behind us much more quickly than it had opened. I turned around, breathed through gritted teeth. I felt myself shaking. Gary squeezed my hand and turned to face me. He put his other hand on my cheek and looked into my eyes. "Don't be scared Aurora. You're a great trainer, and I know this battle will be easy for you. Just believe in yourself and don't let them see you sweat." He leaned forward and kissed me softly on the forehead, then on the cheek, and then he would have kissed me on the lips, but I turned away and stepped out of his embrace. His kisses on my forehead and cheek had thrilled me, but I just wasn't ready for anything more than that. Plus, this was hardly the time or the place for a warm fuzzy love-moment. 

"So, you want to battle for a Boulder Badge?" A man said, stepping forward. "Well, I hate to disappoint you, but our gym leader Brock is, well, gone." 

I gasped. "Gone? What do you mean, gone? I need to battle for a badge!"

"Well," the man said, "I'm sorry. He left a while back to fulfill his dreams of being a Pokémon breeder. He left with a boy, I believe his name was Ash."

"Ash! Ash Ketchum? Brock left with him!" I sighed.

"I'm sorry young lady, I really am, but—"

"Wait, father! She can battle for a badge! I will battle her!"

I turned to face this new voice. It was a girl of about 15. She stepped into the light, tossing her short brown hair. "I'm Suzy, Brock's younger sister! With Brock gone, I'm now the oldest, so I will give you your battle."

I smiled. "Okay! Let's go!"

We stepped onto the battle field of the gym. "We will use two Pokémon each," Suzy said. "Works for me!" I called, choosing my two Pokéballs. I chose Seel and, of course, the Nidoking Gary had lent me. 

Suzy called her first Pokémon. "Graveler, go!"

"Seel!" 

The battle began. "Seel, use your Aurora Beam attack!" That was one of my favorite attacks, since it was, after all, my namesake. The Aurora Beam attack was super effective, but it didn't quite knock out Graveler. 

"Graveler, use your Rock Throw attack!" Suzy called. Seel dodged two of the rocks thrown, but two others truck him squarely. He wasn't too badly hurt. "Seel, use another Aurora Beam! That should take Graveler out!" Seel used Aurora Beam, and Graveler fell. "Graveler! Come on, get up, you can do it!" Suzy called. Graveler struggled to its feet. I gasped. Graveler could only have about 1 hit point left. What attack would Suzy use?

Suzy was staring at my Seel with contempt. "Graveler, use Self Destruct!" Self-Destruct! That was a very powerful attack, no way Seel stood a chance. Graveler curled itself into a ball. "Seel, be careful, go to the edge of the battlefield and protect your head!" I called. Seel did as I told him. An explosion came from Graveler's body, rocking the whole gym. I covered my eyes, dust and rock flying everywhere.

When the dust cleared, Suzy had already called Graveler back, and Seel was lying at my feet, totally unconscious. I bent down and cradled his head. "Oh Seel!" I put him back into his Pokéball. A tear fell slowly from my eye. Suzy laughed. 

"Cry it up little girl! You can't beat me!" 

Hate bubbled up in me and I reached for my other Pokéball. "Nidoking, go!" Suzy regarded my Nidoking. She looked very sure that she would win. "Onix, go!" I stared. She had an Onix as well, but it was slightly larger than mine was. 

"Onix, use your slam attack!" Onix slammed Nidoking, who went flying. I gasped. But Nidoking rose, ready to battle. Gary called from the sidelines of the battle, "Use –" But I cut him off, knowing the best attack to use. "Nidoking, use your double kick attack!" Nidoking jumped high into the air, double kicking Onix in the face. Nidoking landed smoothly. Onix stared down at him. A few heart-pounding seconds passed. And then Onix's eyes rolled up into his head and he fainted, crashing to the ground with a thunderous roar. 

I let out a cry and jumped into the air! "I won!! YES!!" 

Now it was Suzy who looked like she might cry. She called Onix back and hung her head. I ran out onto the field, and threw my arms around Nidoking. His eyes opened wide, as if he were surprised at a trainer showing him affection. I didn't really pay it much heed at the time, though. "You were great Nidoking! I couldn't have won without you!" Nidoking smiled and put its arms around me slowly, as if it wasn't sure if I would let it. I tapped into its mind, to hear its thoughts. 

_Tell me what you want to say._

I was happy to battle for you. You are a good trainer. But why do you hug me? Why do you ask what I am thinking?

Doesn't Gary hug you? Or show you affection? Doesn't he ask what you want or are thinking?

No, he does not.

I disconnected my link, and asked Nidoking to get back into his Pokéball. He did so. Gary ran up to me, nearly knocking me down with the force of his hug. "Haha!' He exclaimed, "What'd I tell you! No problem! You did great!" 

Suzy approached me slowly. "I'm sorry about the way I acted," She said shyly. "I've just never been in an official match before. Here's your Boulder Badge." 

"Thank you, Suzy. You battled very well."

She smiled at me. "You did too."

* * *

"Well, Gary, I'm going on to Cerulean City." I said, as Gary and I stood on the edge of Pewter City, looking out at Route 3. 

"And I'm heading back to Pallet Town." He said slowly. 

"Well, I'll see you around then. Goodbye Gary."

We hugged, kissed each other on the cheek, and then Gary got on Pidgeot and flew away. I watched until Pidgeot was a dot on the horizon.

I turned to Scyther. "Gary can be such a dirtball, and yet, he's totally different when he's with me. I don't know. There's something about him that I like, but, I'm just not totally sure of exactly how I'm feeling about him."

Scyther shrugged, not really understanding my human emotions. I reached for my backpack, planning on using my medicine to revive Seel. I unzipped my backpack and- there was something inside it. A little bundle wrapped in tissue paper. I took it out, staring at it quizzically. I unwrapped it slowly. It was a medallion. A green and yellow medallion. Gary's medallion. With it was a rather large sum of money and a note. It read: 

"Dear Aurora, I know you need this, but I knew you'd turn it down if I offered it to you directly. Don't get all weird on me. Just use it, and you might wear that medallion too. Love, Gary."

He must have slipped this into my backpack during my battle. I stared at the medallion, and then slipped the cord attached to it over my head. I put the money slowly in my wallet. I put one hand on Scyther's back and the other around the medallion now hanging around my neck. I stared into the sky, in the spot where Gary and Pidgeot had disappeared. 

**To Be Continued…**


	4. Part 3 - The Clefairy Colony

****

Part 3 – The Clefairy Colony

"Land right down there, Scyther. I see a cave." I said, patting Scyther on the back. After winning my Boulder Badge and saying goodbye to Gary, I had flown along Route 3 on Scyther's back. Now we were over the Moon Mountain Range. It was getting dark and cold, and dark clouds were moving in. There was no time to reach Cerulean City; we needed shelter now. Secretly, I was also hoping to catch myself a Clefairy. I knew that Clefairy were very rare, and the chances of mine catching one were pretty slim, but I still had my hopes high. 

Scyther landed smoothly on the rock face of the mountain. The cave I had spotted was fairly large and it was easy for me to enter it. I walked inside quickly. The sky had grown very dark and I could smell the moisture in the air. It looked like we were in for a pretty bad storm. 

"Well, Scyther I think we should find a dry place and build a fire and make camp for the night." Scyther nodded. I picked out my other six Pokeballs and opened them all. I hated keeping my Pokémon in Pokéballs. I always kept all of them out, whenever it was possible. Onix barely fit in the cave, so I called him back. I linked into his mind telepathically.

--_Don't worry Onix, I'll let you back out when we reach a cavern big enough for you.—_

"Well, guys, we better get as deep inside as we can," I said, walking into the blackness of the cave. "Ponyta, you lead the way. Your fiery mane will give us some light." Ponyta nodded, and came up beside me. I waved for everyone to follow us.

We walked for several minutes, listening to the sound of thunder outside. The cave floor took a slight upward curve, which was good, because any rainwater wouldn't be able to flow right to us. But the tunnel was getting narrower and narrower. At this rate, we wouldn't be able to continue much farther. It was getting cramped. "Ok, I'm going to have to call everyone back to their Pokéballs," I said. Dismayed cries came from all of my Pokémon. They didn't want to go back into their Pokéballs. Scyther's voice filtered into my mind.

--_It might not be safe. None of us want you to be in here all alone.—_

--I won't be alone. I'll keep Ponyta out for light and protection. I'll call you guys right back out at the slightest sign of danger. I promise.—

Scyther seemed skeptical, but allowed himself to be put back into his Pokéball. "Well, Ponyta," I said, patting Ponyta on the back, "It's just you and me now. Let's be careful." Ponyta nodded.

We kept walking. The cave was very narrow now. Then, I spotted something up ahead. It seemed that the tunnel widened out. As we reached the area, I saw that the tunnel didn't widen out, it ended. It ended in the center of a wall in a huge cavern. Ponyta and I stared in wonderment. The cavern was beautiful. It was full of glistening stalagmites and stalactites, all dripping clear cold water into colored pools on the floor. There were crystal formations in all shades of red, purple, white, and blue. Glowworms dotted the walls, shining pale green. 

"Oh, Ponyta. Isn't it beautiful?" I asked, whispering very quietly. It seemed a crime to break the silence. The only sound was that of the dripping water, and a kind of whooshing sound, as of moving air. That seemed odd. There shouldn't be any moving air in here. 

We needed to get down to the cavern floor. I called back Ponyta, and silently called out Scyther. "Scyther," I whispered, "Fly us down to the cavern floor." Scyther nodded as I climbed onto his back. He lifted off the ground gently, and glided down the 30 feet or so to the ground. He got into position to make his usual smooth landing, but when his feet hit the ground, they flew out from under him, and I went flying off his back. I hit the rock floor hard, and let out a shrill yip of pain. I tried to sit up on my hands, but they flew out from under me on the slick surface, as Scyther's legs had done. 

"Scyther!" I cried weakly, pain shooting up my leg from my ankle. "Scyther! Where are you?" I couldn't see him anywhere. "Scyther! Scytheeeer!" 

A shadow fell over me. I gasped and looked up. It was Scyther. "Scyther!" I exclaimed, "Are you alright?"

--_I'm fine. You don't look so good. You're injured. I will carry you.--_

I smiled weakly. "What would I do without you, Scyther?"

Scyther grinned, as much as a bug could, at least. –_You probably wouldn't last five minutes. Now, where should we go?—_

I looked around. The most reasonable way to go was deeper into the cavern. "Let's go see what's in this cavern," I said. Scyther bowed down, carefully sheathing his razorblades, and then using his arms to pick me up and help me onto his back. My ankle throbbed with pain. I wrapped my arms around Scyther's narrow waist, holding tight and gritting my teeth against the pain in my ankle. Scyther hovered just above the ground, flying slowly, casting concerned expressions over his shoulder at me. I smiled reassurance at him. 

The cavern was cool, and moist. The sound of dripping water filled the air. It was soothing. But there was also that whooshing sound, which seemed to be getting louder. I raised my head, hearing it much louder than usual. What could it be?

__

--That sound makes me nervous. Do you know what it is?—Scyther's voice drifted through my mind. 

--_I have no idea.—_

Scyther rounded a boulder and – came to a dead halt. There, not ten feet away from us, was a sleeping Onix. Its snores were the whooshing sound that we had been hearing. I stared. It was the largest Onix I had ever seen, easily 10 or maybe even 15 feet longer than mine. Scyther didn't move, and my breath was caught in my throat. The Onix growled, and its sleepy eyes blinked open. 

Scyther panicked and took to the air. The Onix let out a horrible roar and lunged at us. I let out a scream, both in fear that the Onix was attacking us, and in pain as my ankle hit Scyther's back leg. The cavern was not high enough for us to escape the Onix. It made another lunge, the end of its nose hitting Scyther squarely. And then we were plummeting toward the ground. It wasn't a very long fall, but with my already injured ankle, it was extremely painful. I lay on the ground, trying to get up, staring in terror at the Onix bearing down on me. It was coming closer and closer. Fear bubbled in my stomach and ran cold in my veins.

"Clefairy…Clefairfairy. Clefairy." 

I turned my head toward the high-pitched, but charmingly sweet voice. It was a Clefairy. It was standing in the entrance to a tunnel that was about 3 feet wide and 4 feet high, and it seemed to be beckoning for me to come to it. It waved me towards it, and then disappeared in the tunnel's blackness. I tried to stand, pain shooting up my ankle. I grabbed the ground, pulled myself towards the tunnel. The Onix roared, staring down at me. It raised its head, and then it was lunging right at me. I let out a scream, frantically trying to drag myself into the tunnel, only a few more feet to go…

Scyther's arms wrapped around my waist from above, and he scooped me right up. His body was totally horizontal, and he was flying with all his speed. We disappeared into the mouth of the tunnel just as the Onix's head smacked into the rock wall. 

Scyther was flying down the narrow tunnel with alarming speed. It was pitch black; who knew what we would run into? Suddenly, it seemed as though it was too much to think about. My mind was slipping, I could feel it. The pain throbbing in my ankle was intensifying, and making me feel lightheaded. My eyelids drooped, fell shut, my mind went blank and I lost consciousness.

* * *

__

"I love you Aurora. I love you more than I thought I'd ever love anybody or anything. I want to spend my life with you," Gary said, speaking right into my ear. I just sighed happily, burying my fingers in his thick brown hair. He stared into my eyes, his deep brown eyes seeming to penetrate my soul. He lowered his head, slowly, slowly. Agonizingly slow. Our lips met gently, so gently it was hardly a kiss, but it sent shivers down my spine. Shivers weren't the only thing going down my spine. Gary's hand was trailing down my back, as well. "I love you, Aurora…Aurora…Aurora…"

"Aurora? Aurora?! Wake up, Aurora!"

My eyes fluttered open. I was lying on my back on a hard surface and someone was above me, holding my head. I stared for a few seconds before my eyes focused and my mind registered the face above mine – the short, spiky blue hair, the brown eyes. 

"Rainne?" I said softly, happy to see her familiar face. "Rainne? I can't believe it's you."

Rainne smiled down at me. "It's good to see you Aurora. I've been so worried about you. What's happened to you in these past three days?"

"Too much," I said, sitting up slowly. There was a bandage around my ankle, and the pain had all but totally faded away. I was still in a cave and—my breath caught. I was surrounded by Clefairy. There were Clefairy everywhere, doing all sorts of things. It was a colony. A working system, a city of Clefairy deep under the ground. Rainne noticed my amazement.

"It's crazy, isn't it?" She said, looking around. "There are hundreds, maybe even thousands of Clefairy down here, living together in this Clefairy Colony. All the experts say "There's only 1 maybe 2 hundred Clefairy in the world." But look at all these. It's crazed."

I nodded absently, staring at all the Clefairy. "How did you get here Rainne? And, how did _I_ get here?" I asked, suddenly remembering that I had lost consciousness in a tunnel on Scyther's back. _Scyther._ That reminded me. "And where's Scyther?"

"Let me answer those questions in the order they were asked." Rainne said, holding up her hands. "First off, I followed these little Clefairy down here, wanting to capture one of them." She motioned to two Clefairy standing by her side. One of the Clefairy wore a necklace, Rainne's necklace, which set it apart from the others. "You were saved by these same Clefairy. What I've gathered using my telepathy is that these little guys found you and Scyther passed out in a tunnel, and used their Metronome to float you guys here. Then, they healed you and patched up your ankle. I haven't been able to figure out how yet. When I found you, you were lying here, unconscious, surrounded by concerned Clefairy."

I stared. "I was saved by…by these Clefairy?"

Rainne nodded, patting one of the Clefairy on the back. "Oh yeah. These guys are friendly as hell. They save people all the time. I guess the people are so touched by the Clefairy's kindness, that they feel the same way I do about this place."

"And how do you feel about this place?"

"I feel that it would be a crime to tell anyone about it. The Clefairy live here in peace, secretly doing good things for the world. If everyone knew about this place, scientists would always be down here studying, trainers would come here and catch Clefairy, the whole system would be ruined. I think its just better for the Clefairy to remain unknown down here."

I nodded, looking around. "Yeah, I've only been here a few minutes, but I can already agree with that."

"Yeah…by the way, what were you dreaming?" Rainne asked abruptly. I started. "Dreaming?" I asked, pretending to not know what she was talking about, "When was I dreaming?"

Rainne glared at me. She always knew when I was telling a lie. "When I woke you up just a few minutes ago. You were dreaming, I could see your eyes moving and you were making little sounds. Do you think you might have been dreaming the future? You used to do that all the time remember? Were you dreaming the future?" Rainne was excited now, wanting to know what I had dreamed and if it would really happen.

I shook my head. "No, no, I couldn't have been dreaming the future. What was happening was too crazy."

Rainne deflated. "Oh…oh well. You do see the future in your dreams sometimes, at least. It must be great to be psychic. I wish I had the gift like you do."

"Rainne," I said, "You might have the gift. Sometimes I sense it in you. You need to get a psychic Pokemon. You know, I didn't realize my powers until I got Kadabra and he was able to focus my energy and show me my abilities. Get a psychic Pokemon."

Rainne grinned. "Your too nice to me Aurora. I'll just have to try that, I guess."

I smiled and patted one of the Clefairy next to me on the head. It smiled back at me. A small piece of rock fell off the ceiling and hit the ground next to it. "Clefairy?" The Clefairy said, staring at the rock, looking scared and confused. 

"Gggrrrrrroooooonnnnnniiiiiixxxxxxxx." A roar echoed down from the tunnel. All the Clefairy froze, staring at the small tunnel entrance. Rocks and dust were spewing out the mouth of the tunnel. I gasped, realization dawning on me. That roar. It was –

"It's that Onix I ran into earlier! It must be trying to dig its way after me, and right to the Clefairy!"

I tapped into the mind of one of the Clefairy that had saved me.

--_Do you know what's happening?—_

--_You said it's an Onix. We have to hurry and leave this cavern before it caves in_.—

One of the Clefairy that had saved me, the one wearing Rainne's necklace, jumped onto a rock. "Clefairy," It said firmly. "Clefairy, Clefairfairy Clefairy." It was issuing orders. It was calming the panicked Clefairy and directing everyone to leave in an orderly fashion. The other Clefairy formed themselves into a line, and began to file out of a tunnel entrance on the opposite side of the cavern from the one the Onix was coming through. Several Clefairy grabbed me, helping me to my feet. I gritted my teeth, prepared for the pain in my ankle to surge. It didn't. The small amount of pain there was did not intensify even when I put all my weight on the ankle. "Clefairy! Clefairy!" The Clefairy cried, urging me to hurry and follow them. 

Rainne and I brought up the end of the line of Clefairy, hurrying to get the last of them out of the cavern. I was just about to leave when a small cry reached my ears. I turned around. It was a juvenile Clefairy, stranded on a high ledge. The makeshift elevator the young Clefairy used had been taken out by a rock, and this young Clefairy hadn't yet learned to fly. Clefairy did not learn to fly until they were nearly full-grown adults. The Clefairy leader, the one wearing Rainne's necklace, noticed the juvenile at the same time that I did. It bravely took to the air, dodging falling boulders. It flew up to the young Clefairy, grabbed it, and ferried it down to the ground. But there wasn't time. The entire roof of the cavern began to give way. The Clefairy leader made eye contact with me, and tossed the juvenile in my direction. I was startled, but grabbed the young Clefairy, and jumped into the tunnel, just as the cavern collapsed. 

I turned, facing the cavern. All I saw was a mass of rocks. "No!" I cried. 

Rainne ran up to me. "What is it? What's wrong?"

I began to dig away the rocks with my bare hands, tears streaming down my face. "The Clefairy leader," I panted, "The one wearing your necklace. It's still in there."

Rainne's eyes widened, her mouth fell open. She dropped to the ground beside me, and we began to dig with our bare hands. We dug frantically, both in tears. Rainne was the first one to become rational. "We should use our Pokémon." She said. "It'll go a lot faster with their help."

I nodded, and reached for my belt with my Pokéballs. "Onix can do it quickly by himself," I said. Rainne nodded. I called out Onix. "Onix!" I said, "Dig away these rocks until you find a Clefairy!" Onix began to dig. The other Clefairy panicked at the site of my Onix, running around and crying out. Rainne ran to them, trying to calm them. "Guys!" She said, holding up her arms, "Guys, calm down! That's Aurora's Onix! It's here to help find your leader!" The Clefairy stared, calming down, but then hyping back up at the news that their leader was missing. They became frantic again. Rainne put her head in her hands. 

Then, the other Clefairy who had saved me jumped up. "Clefairy! Clefairy!" It said sternly. It was taking on the roll of leader, calming the other Clefairy and directing them. The Clefairy began to assemble themselves into lines. A voice drifted into my mind.

__

--Call back your Onix. We can locate our leader more quickly on our own.—

I stared quizzically into the eyes of the new Clefairy leader, the one who had spoken to me. Intelligence sparkled in its eyes. I called back Onix and stepped back to watch the Clefairy work. All the Clefairy began to wave their arms in unison. "What are they doing?" I whispered to Rainne.

"Metronome," She whispered back. "Metronome is a confusing thing. I don't fully understand it myself, but I know that it has many uses to Clefairy."

The rocks in the entrance to the cavern began to glow blue, and then they began to clear away. Rainne and I stared, amazed. It was as if a bulldozer were clearing a path; the rocks moved out of the way, forming a clear way that led right to – my breath caught in my throat, and Rainne gasped. It was the leader Clefairy. Rainne and I ran up to it. I kneeled down, put my hand on the lifeless, bloodied form. The Clefairy was very cold and very dead. I took my hand off the body, looked up at Rainne and shook my head slowly, tears stinging my eyes. Rainne eyes glimmered, tears falling from them.

"Clefairy, Clefairy!" The other Clefairy ran to their fallen leader. They stared at her body, and then at the juvenile she had saved, still in my arms. The Clefairy began to murmur amongst themselves, and then one of them stepped forward. It's head bowed in respect, it slowly took Rainne's necklace from the neck of the leader, and gently placed it around the neck of the other Clefairy who had saved me, the one who had given orders when the leader was trapped in the cavern. Rainne and I looked on, amazed at what we were seeing. All the Clefairy bowed in respect to their new leader. The new leader's voice trickled into my mind.

__

--Our leader risked her life to save the young one. She will have an honorable burial, and I will be the new leader.—

--Good choice.--

I responded. The Clefairy slowly surrounded the leader's body. They gently lifted her, and carried her out of the cavern. I watched with tears in my eyes. Rainne took my hand, and we stood together, crying for the death of the Clefairy's leader.

* * *

"I wish we could stay for the funeral," Rainne said, as we were walking away from the cave. All the Clefairy were standing in the cave's mouth, bidding us farewell. 

"Yeah, me too," I said slowly, "But, I guess its something the Clefairy want to do themselves, without any humans present."

Rainne nodded, and then we both fell silent. We walked slowly, both wanting to look back, but neither doing it. 

"Clefairy."

I started, and turned around. The juvenile Clefairy that the leader had saved, that I had caught and pulled into the tunnel just in time, was standing behind us. Rainne and I knelt down. "What is it, little Clefairy? Shouldn't you be in the cave, at the funeral?" I asked. The Clefairy lowered its eyes. "Clefairy." It said softly. 

"I think it feels bad because it thinks the leader's death is its fault." Rainne whispered. The Clefairy nodded.

"Oh, little Clefairy, it wasn't your fault," I said, "You were trapped. Don't feel bad. Your leader didn't sacrifice herself so you could be sad. You're destined to do something great, I see it. I feel it. I'm psychic you know, so I know what's going to happen. And you are going to save people, and Pokémon's lives one day." 

The Clefairy stared at me, considering my words. It's eyes brightened, and it smiled. I smiled back. "Now go back home, and don't be sad anymore."

Rainne and I rose, and began to walk away. "Clefairy." We turned around. The Clefairy was still following us. I knelt down again. "What is it Clefairy?" The Clefairy walked up to me, reached for my belt and picked off an empty Pokéball. It set it on the ground at its feet, and tapped it with its hand. "Clefairy," It said. 

Rainne came up behind me. "Don't you get it Aurora? It wants to be your Pokémon." She said, grinning at me. The Clefairy smiled, nodding.

I stared at it. "Really? You want me to be your trainer?" It nodded. Tears stung my eyes. "I would be honored to be your trainer." "Clefairy!" The Clefairy exclaimed, smiling. I picked up the Pokéball and opened it. "Get inside Clefairy." Clefairy happily did as I said. 

"Well, you captured your Clefairy." Rainne said as we continued on our way. I smiled, "Yeah, so I did."

I put my hand around my newly filled Pokéball. I had gotten a Clefairy, just as I had wanted. The circumstances had been less than ideal, though. I thought about the Clefairy and their new leader. Had it been my fault that their old leader was dead? I angered the Onix, was it my fault? I kept walking, head down, thinking about the Clefairy, my Clefairy, and also Cerulean City, and how I would win the Cascade Badge.


	5. Part 4 - The Cerulean City Lighthouse

**Part 4 – The Cerulean City Lighthouse**

"There it is, Ponyta," I said. "Cerulean City. There's a Cascade Badge in that city with my name on it." Ponyta whinnied assent, and I patted her neck from my place atop her back.

It had been 3 days since the tragedy on Mount Moon. My Clefairy was already well into its training. Already it could speak human language in its mind and use telepathy quite well. It was very intelligent, and caught on to psychic powers more quickly than any of my other Pokemon had, except for Kadabra, of course. 

Rainne had stayed near Mount Moon, determined to catch more Pokemon before going to Pewter City to get her own Boulder Badge. When we separated, she had a Cubone, a Drowzee, an Eevee, and an Oddish. I wasn't sure when we would see each other again. Already, I longed for her company, or anyone's company. I even longed to see Gary again. 

I sighed, patting Ponyta's neck. "Let's go into town and find a hotel Ponyta. Its getting dark."

I sat down on the bed in the hotel room I had just rented. It was a decent hotel, better than the one I had stayed at in Viridian City. The money Gary had given me made it possible for me to get myself this better room. I slowly pulled the green and yellow medallion he had given me, the one he used to always wear, from under my shirt. I held it loosely, staring at it. "Why do I feel like I want to be with Gary, yet at the same time, I want to wait for someone better," I said softly to myself and my Pokemon. "Gary is great, but something in my heart tells me that there's someone better out there." My Pokemon just stared at me. We were all at a loss for an answer to my problem.

The next morning dawned beautiful, warm and sunny. I rose early, determined to get to the Cerulean Gym, win my badge, and be on my way. There was only one problem. I had no idea what Pokemon I wanted to use. I couldn't use Growlithe, Ponyta, Scyther, Seel, or Onix, and not Eevee. That only left Clefairy and Kadabra, and I didn't know how well they would fair against water Pokemon. I sighed. I obviously needed another Pokemon. Now, what was good against water? I knew electric was, but there was one other type. I shrugged. I couldn't remember what it was, and besides, having an electric type might be nice. 

This brought up another problem. Where was I going to get an electric type? I knew that Eevee could evolve into Jolteon with the use of a Thunder Stone, but I didn't have a Thunder Stone and the only places I knew of to get one were Stone Town and Celadon City, both of which were quite a distance from here. I didn't want to travel all that way and then come all the way back. That could take a week or more, and what a waste of time! I could use a TM to teach one of my Pokemon an electric-type attack. I did have TM 24, which I knew to be Thunderbolt, but were any of my Pokemon compatible with that move? I'm sure Clefairy and Kadabra are, but do I want to teach them that move? It seems like it would be better for me to wait and give the move to some Pokemon who would use it more effectively. 

All of these thoughts ran through my head as I bathed, repacked, gathered my Pokemon, and left my hotel room. I wandered the streets of Cerulean City aimlessly for most of the morning. I had planned to be in Vermilion City, or at least Lavender Town, by sunset, but my hopes of that were pretty much gone. I paused in my walking, glancing at a house guarded by a police officer. I linked into the dark-haired man's mind, wanting to know what had happened.

__

--Those lousy Rockets. Break into this house, steal some crap, and now I'm stuck guarding it. This job sucks.-- 

Rockets! There were Team Rocket activities going down in Cerulean City! I shivered. I didn't know much about Team Rocket, but I had heard that they abused Pokemon and that drew me to the conclusion that they were horrid people. Who could look at a cute, defenseless, innocent Pokemon and do something mean to it? I couldn't even conceive of such a thing.

I was so engaged in thinking about how awful Team Rocket must be that I didn't see the boy until he had come up next to me and grabbed my arm. "Hey!" He called, waving his hand in front of my face. "Hey, Girl! Do you have Pokemon? 'Cause if you do, you have to battle the five of us," He gestured at four other trainers, "Before you can cross this bridge!"

I stared at him incomprehensibly. He looked to be about 15 or 16, and seemed very sure of himself. I looked out at the other four trainers, two girls and another two boys, and at the bridge they were standing on. I recognized it almost instantly as the Route 24 bridge, leaving Cerulean City. If my memory serves me correctly, I remember that it goes to the Sea Cottage, but I can't remember who lives there or why. 

"Are you stupid or something?" He asked, breathing hot, foul breath in my face, "I asked you a question. Do-you-have-Pokemon?" He enunciated each of these last four words with a squeeze of my arm. 

"No," I blurted quickly, seeing that I didn't have the time or the supplies for a battle, let alone five battles. "No, I don't have any Pokemon."

He glared at me skeptically. "I don't know if I should believe you. If you don't have Pokemon, why do you have an…imitation…Pokemon League Pokeball Belt?" He put emphasis on the word 'imitation', and it obviously was, because I had made the belt myself. "And with Pokeballs on it, too!" With his final words, he reached down and jabbed my belt roughly with his fingers, hitting my stomach.

I smacked him right across the face. "Don't touch me," I growled at him harshly. "I have it because I like the style and because I plan to have Pokemon in the future. In case you didn't notice, there are eight Pokeballs on the belt, stupid, so I obviously don't have any Pokemon in them. I'm obviously not even licensed yet."

He drew back, embarrassed because I had hit him and called him stupid and now the other trainers were laughing at him. "Just let her pass, _stupid_, she's not even licensed," one of the other boys called, and they all laughed harshly. I tossed my hair proudly, as I often did, and continued on my way. One of the girls flashed me a thumbs-up as I walked past, and the other shouted, "You should have made it a punch!" with a smile on her face. I grinned, and crossed the bridge.

A short distance off the bridge, Route 24 hit ocean, and swung sharply to the east, becoming Route 25. I followed the curve of the trail, staring out at the sun's light reflecting on the gentle ocean waves. I loved the ocean. I always had. I watched the water, seeing movement beneath. Probably a school of Magikarp, or perhaps Horsea. Looking out at the ocean off the cliffs, the waves crashing, made me think about the legendary water-dragon Pokemon, Dratini. There were also its evolved forms, Dragonair and Dragonite. All of these Pokemon are extremely rare, and the only person I know of that has one, or three rather, is Lance, the Dragon Trainer. It must be awesome to be a Pokemon Master, especially a Dragon Trainer. I sighed, thinking about my own Pokemon. Would they one day be strong enough to make me a Pokemon Master? I didn't know. The only thing that was for certain was that I needed to broaden my types a little bit. And right now I needed an electric type. I sighed again. Certainly no area near the beach was going to yield me an electric Pokemon.

Suddenly I wanted to be down on the water, not up on these cliffs. I walked on a little farther, and saw a trail, very steep, but still a trail, that led down the cliff and to the water. It would be easier just to use a Pokemon, I knew, but I felt like being alone at the moment. So I braved the trail myself, climbing down carefully. 

It seemed that I was climbing down for a very long time, before I finally hit the water. When I got there, it was more than worth the climb. The beach was beautiful, the sand warm and white, the water clear turquoise and obviously warm. I kicked off my shoes and dug my toes into the sand on the beach. Absolutely beautiful.

I walked slowly along the water, letting the waves lap my feet. I was focusing out on the ocean, not watching where I was stepping, when suddenly there was no sand under my foot; only water. I nearly fell headlong into the deep pool of water right in front of me. I gasped, drawing myself up sharply. There was a small cave mouth in the rocky cliff, and a stream of clear water ran from inside it. The stream was lined with rocks, as was the four-foot deep pool that was formed by it. I dipped my toe into the water. It was pleasantly cool, a bit cooler than the ocean water. I bent, put my finger in the water, and licked it. The water was fresh, too, very fresh, almost sweet-tasting. I marveled at the existence of such a pool. Right here by the ocean, a stream of fresh water! It was really strange. 

__

You should take a swim. 

The words drifted pleasantly through my mind. I looked around, startled. Who had said that? It was spoken through telepathy, but there was no one around, and I hadn't recognized the voice, so it wasn't one of my Pokemon. 

__

Relax. Just swim.

There was such a calming serenity in that voice that I did relax. It suddenly didn't seem so important who was speaking to me. I wanted to swim.

I slowly unbuttoned my shirt, letting it slip off my shoulders. I wore a white tank-top undershirt beneath it. I tossed my shoes, shirt, and backpack full of supplies onto a nearby rock, then stared down into the pool. It was crystal-clear, so inviting. I removed my belt with my Pokeballs, set it at my feet, and plunged into the water. 

The water enveloped me, cool and fresh. I had always loved to swim, but it had never felt this good, never been so relaxing. I surfaced, pushing my hair out of my face. I could easily stand in the pool with my head and shoulders out of the water. 

I moved about in the pool for awhile, and then decided to share the beauty and utter calm with my Pokemon. I grabbed my belt, and opened each Pokeball in turn. Scyther's was the first Ball opened and he took one look at me and then plunged into the water. I laughed, splashing him. Scyther was one of the only bug-type Pokemon I had ever heard of that could tolerate water, and Scyther enjoyed it. Next came Growlithe. Growlithe was, of course, a fire-type, but because he doesn't have any actual flame on his body, he can enjoy water as well. Growlithe splashed into the pool, barking happily. The next Pokeball was Kadabra. It was difficult to bring out Kadabra's playful side, and at first he simply sat by the pool and stirred the water with his spoon. I knew that he would join the rest of us soon enough. I had to think twice about bringing out Onix. Onix hated water, of course. I brought him out anyway. He stared at me, then curled up by the rocky cliffs and simply watched the rest of us. Next came Eevee. Eevee adored water and she dove right in, splashing. I smiled at her. Perhaps one day I would evolve her into a Vaporeon, simply because she loved water so much. Then it was time for Seel, the one who was truly adept in the water. Seel glided gracefully into the water, swimming slowly. I couldn't wait for him to evolve into Dewgong. Dewgong were beautiful and powerful, yet still graceful, swimmers. The next Pokemon was Ponyta, who loathed water. Her fiery mane must never be put out, so she had to avoid water like plague. She gazed at me for a second, then went and joined Onix, a good distance from the water. Finally, it was Clefairy's turn. Clefairy was still a relatively new addition to our family, and she appeared uncertain at first.

I opened my arms to her. "Come on in, Clefairy. The water is very nice. Very…soothing." And it was. An aura of calm seemed to pervade this water and all things that entered it. Kadabra had since entered the pool, and all of my Pokemon were floating around peacefully. They all called gently to Clefairy and I smiled softly. "See, Clefairy? Everyone loves it. Come on in. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Clefairy looked at me, and trust and love reflected in her eyes. She hopped into my arms, splashing and smiling. I caught her, laughing. I dipped her feet in the water gently and she smiled, seeming to enjoy it. I set her in the water and let go, but kept my hands near her. She floated on her own and I smiled proudly. "See, Clefairy? Swimming is great." 

I floated next to Clefairy, supporting her if she grew tired (she was, after all, still rather young) and watching my other Pokemon. Kadabra told me telepathically that he would take over Clefairy watch-and-care, and I was free to float with my other Pokemon. I naturally floated right over to Scyther. Scyther and I had the closest relationship of all my Pokemon, he being the first one I had ever caught, and the kindest and most supportive in my beginning years as a trainer. I wrapped my arms around him, floating, and he nuzzled my face with his own. I loved him so much.

"It seems a crime for me to disrupt this moment."

Instantly, Scyther pushed me behind him, unsheathed his razor blades, and held them out, protecting me. "Scyther…" He called, glaring at the figure that had appeared above us beside the pool. It was a young man with slightly wavy green hair. He wore knee-length maroon-colored shorts and a green tank top. He knelt down, pulled a small notebook from his pocket, and began to scribble notes into it.

"Fascinating," He said, "I've never seen or heard of a Scyther behaving in such a manner. This one is fiercely protective, and very affectionate. Scyther have never been known to show such characteristics, especially not for their human trainers."

The man continued to scrawl notes, and then he pulled out a small camera and snapped a photo of Scyther in his protective position. "Fascinating." He repeated, and began snapping photos of my other Pokemon.

I was taken slightly aback. Who did this young man think he was? Just waltzing up here and taking pictures! He didn't even know who I was! 

"Excuse me sir, but I don't believe you have my permission to be photographing my Pokemon or myself. Perhaps I'd feel better if you introduced yourself."

He looked at me, and his face reddened. "Oh, yes," He said, seemingly somewhat embarrassed. "I have to beg your pardon. Sometimes I get a little caught up in researching Pokemon and I forget about people…Let me help you out of there." He held out his hand, offering it to me.

I put one of my hands on Scyther's shoulder. 

__

--It's alright Scyther. I think we can trust him.—

I said through our telepathic link. Scyther glared at the man, and then turned to me. _–I don't trust him.—_

--Well I do. Just relax.—

Reluctantly, Scyther allowed me to take the man's hand, and he pulled me up onto the bank of the pool, exhibiting much greater strength than I had expected from him. 

"I'm Bill, a Pokemon Researcher," he said, shaking my hand before releasing it. "I live in the old lighthouse on that cliff." He pointed to a large lighthouse. I stared at it for a few seconds, and then turned back to the man.

"I'm Aurora Aston, from Pallet Town. I'm training to be a Pokemon Master."

Bill looked properly impressed. "A Pokemon Master, huh?" He paused. "How long have you been training? I can see you have a good selection of Pokemon. Your Scyther is fascinating…and you have an Eevee! I simply adore Eevee and its evolutions!"

"I guess I've been training for about three years now…but I just started my Pokemon Quest a week ago."

Bill's eyebrows went up. "Why did you train for so long before leaving on your Pokemon Quest?" 

I didn't answer him immediately. I thought about how I should answer, and then finally said, "It's a long story." And that was all.

Bill obviously decided not to push the issue. "So…these are all your Pokemon? Let's see…you have, of course, Scyther and Eevee," as he spoke, he wrote down the Pokemon's names in his notebook, "And Onix, Ponyta, Kadabra, Seel, Growlithe, and…a Clefairy! Wow! That's quite a rare Pokemon! And it's a juvenile, as well! Amazing!" 

I smiled at Clefairy. "Yes, she's quite a treasure. We all really love her."

Bill watched Kadabra for a moment, marveling at its behavior. Kadabra was, of course, still "Poke-sitting" Clefairy. "If I didn't know better…" Bill said slowly, "I'd say your Kadabra is…looking after your Clefairy, like a parent."

"Well, you obviously don't know better," I said, tossing my hair, "Because Kadabra is doing just that. He offered to baby-sit Clefairy while I swam."

Bill looked incredulous. "Offered? How did it offer?"

I tapped one of my temples. "Through telepathy."

Bill's eyes widened to an almost frightening size. "Y-you communicate with your Pokemon through…_telepathy?_ That's incredible!"

It was then, with Bill eyeing me excitedly, that I realized I had been standing here this whole time talking to him in my shorts and undershirt! I turned away from him hurriedly, suddenly embarrassed. "Uh…I think I..uh..neeed to…" I scampered around the pool to where my shirt was lying on the rock. I picked it up and quickly threw it on over my undershirt. When I turned back to Bill, he was looking out toward the ocean, and his face was flaming red. His eyes darted back to me, saw me looking, turned away again, and then he turned his head, facing me again.

"I sincerely apologize," He said, "I was so caught up in the Pokemon that I didn't even realize…didn't really notice…" He trailed off, and shrugged helplessly.

I smiled softly. "Its okay, really. I mean, its not like I was naked or anything." At this, Bill's cheeks burned red again, and he coughed. I looked down, giggling insanely, feeling the pink rising in my own cheeks. 

When I had composed myself, I looked up, and Bill had regained his composure as well. He approached me slowly. "Aurora," he said, "I would be greatly honored if you would bring your Pokemon and come stay in the lighthouse for a little while. I would love to hear more about your telepathy, and I'd like to run a few tests on your Pokemon. Would you be willing to do that Aurora? I assure, you would be given the best accommodations in the lighthouse." 

The question flashed through my brain, and both Scyther and Kadabra turned, alarmed, and glared at Bill.

__

-WHAT did he just ask? He wants you to go stay at his place, some complete stranger? Say no Aurora, absolutely not!- This was Scyther's voice, and he sounded alarmed and distrustful.

__

-I don't believe it would be intelligent to go with this man. He is completely unknown to you Aurora.- This was Kadabra, sounding just as suspicious as Scyther.

__

I'm going to go, you guys. Don't you want a nice place to sleep tonight? I certainly do. I communicated this to them, and then turned to Bill. "Of course I'll go Bill." 

A smile crossed his face and he offered me his hand. "Call back your Pokemon then and lets get going."

I called my Pokemon into their Pokeballs, with some fuss from Kadabra and Scyther, and walked with Bill down the beach, toward the lighthouse. I was looking forward to a hot meal, a warm bed, and a nice room. I sighed in contentment. There was only one problem right now. I needed an electric type to defeat the Cerulean Gym Leader, and I still didn't have one. How would I get one now, especially since I was going to the lighthouse with Bill? I sighed, and buried myself in thought as the sun began to set over the ocean.


End file.
